We get lots of questions about item type, number and placement for live, silent, and online auctions. If you’re planning a spring auction, it’s not too soon to define your item strategy so you can efficiently procure the right items for your fundraiser. Our blogs over the next week or two will cover various aspects of auction item strategy.
First, let’s talk about item number. More is not necessarily better when it comes to number of items. Don’t make your live and silent auctions a test of your guests’ stamina! Your live auction should offer ten items maximum. If your guests have shown at past auctions that they have a long attention span, you can possibly bump that total up, but it will be a long night. You want to avoid having your bidders run out of steam at the end of the evening and stop bidding. Better to leave them wanting more—never have more than 15 items in a live auction to keep guests bidding until the end.
Watch for our next blog on silent auction item number.